


Carry Your Partner

by Hogwartsowls



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fourth of July, M/M, mild homophobia from family members, not suzanne or coach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25072462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hogwartsowls/pseuds/Hogwartsowls
Summary: “Alright y’all, this one here is real simple. First one to that tree,” Coach pointed to a large oak tree at the far end of the yard, “wins. But,” he added as Bitty’s older cousins and uncles got into their ready positions, “y’all have to be carrying your partner.” He nodded in Bitty’s direction and Bitty smiled. Every year it was “carry your girl.”
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 9
Kudos: 270





	Carry Your Partner

Coach had a thing for backyard competitions. As a child, Bitty waited all day for the annual egg-and-spoon race, the three-legged race, and the wheelbarrow race he would compete in against his cousins. And it was always entertaining to see his parents and various aunts and uncles compete in their own silly races. There was laughter and friendly competition and the winners always had the first pick of the desserts after lunch.

This Fourth of July was no different. Coach had come up with a schedule of events spread out evenly throughout the day. All the classic competitions were there, ones that had been staples of the Bittle Family Fourth of July celebration since Bitty was a baby. And as new generations of Bittles were added (Bitty’s cousin Lisa’s son was already three), new competitions were added. The only difference was the French Canadian NHL player Bitty had brought along with him. It was one thing for his family to watch him kiss his boyfriend on national television but it was another thing entirely for him to parade said boyfriend around at a family barbeque.

The children’s races had been run earlier in the day. Little Aaron had won the egg-and-spoon race, which Bitty suspected his cousins had let him win because he was the youngest. Jessie and Hailey had won the three-legged race and the wheelbarrow race to the dismay of the other children. Now while some of the babies had their naps and the older kids were playing hide-and-seek, Coach called out the first of the adult competitions.

“Alright y’all, this one here is real simple. First one to that tree,” Coach pointed to a large oak tree at the far end of the yard, “wins. But,” he added as Bitty’s older cousins and uncles got into their ready positions, “y’all have to be carrying your partner.” He nodded in Bitty’s direction and Bitty smiled. Every year it was “carry your girl.”

There was some shouting as the men gathered up their wives and girlfriends in their arms or on their backs. Bitty tugged Jack towards the starting line. This was the first year he could compete in the race. Every other year he was the judge at the finish line.

Bitty’s uncle Dave smirked as he stood beside Bitty at the line. His wife Carol was already on his back, her legs wrapped firmly around his beer belly. “You gonna let your man carry you, Dicky?”

Bitty looked up at Jack. That had been the plan. Jack was the stronger of the two of them. He’d joked when Bitty told him of the tradition that it wouldn’t be much different than carrying the Stanley Cup around the ice.

_“You’re about the same size,” he’d said with a grin._

_“You take that back, Mr. Zimmermann.”_

Bitty glared at Dave and, without breaking eye contact, grabbed Jack by the knees and hauled him over his shoulder just like he would do with a large bag of flour. Jack sputtered and shouted as he scrambled to find some part of Bitty to hold on to. After a moment’s struggle, Jack was resting over Bitty’s shoulders, facing forward with one leg trailing down Bitty’s back. Bitty grabbed one of Jack’s hands and pushed his other under Jack’s thigh to keep him from slipping off his shoulder. Dave nearly dropped Carol.

Coach looked over proudly from where he was standing on Bitty’s other side. Suzanne gave him a thumbs up from where she was resting in Coach’s arms bridal-style.

“On your mark! Get set! GO!” Moomaw called from across the yard.

The other men took off at a limping run and Bitty trailed behind, staggering under Jack’s weight. The fifty yards to the oak tree seemed miles long.

“You got this, bud,” Jack encouraged. He squeezed Bitty’s hand.

They were only about half way across the yard by the time the other competitors had crossed the finish line. Some of Bitty’s cousins looked on in awe as Bitty struggled towards them, his giant NHL boyfriend draped across his shoulders. Others looked smug, as if they thought Bitty would quit now that everyone else had finished the race. But that only made Bitty dig his heels in harder and push forwards.

“Whoo hoo! Go Dicky!” Suzanne called. Coach whooped from beside her and Moomaw clapped encouragingly from her lawn chair. Some of Bitty’s other relatives joined in, adding their cheering and clapping to the mix. Aunt Judy cheered the loudest.

Finally, Bitty staggered over the finish line and dropped Jack dramatically off his shoulders. He crouched over, hands on his knees, as he tried to catch his breath.

Jack grabbed at Bitty’s arm, pulling him onto the grass beside him. He laughed and wrapped Bitty in a hug. “That was incredible, bud.”

Dave and Carol turned away at the display of affection and wandered over to the food table.

“Say, Jack,” Coach started. “What do you weigh about now?”

Jack sat up and laughed. Bitty rolled over and rested his head against Jack’s hip, still trying to catch his breath. “My last weigh-in said 215 which I know is almost double what Bits benches regularly.”

Coach let out a slow whistle. Many others look amazed. Bitty’s cousins shared some whispers.

Bitty’s cousin Anna-May ran over from where she had been watching the race with her sister. “Wow Eric! Do you think you could give me a piggy-back ride because you’re so strong?”

Bitty smiled up at the four-year-old. “I wish I could, sweetie, but I’m too tired. How about you ask Jack? He gives real good piggy-back rides and I’m sure he’d give you one if you ask nicely.”

Anna-May thought it over, her little lips pursed in concentration. “But do you think he’s really strong like you?”

Jack chuckled. “I could probably carry you and Bits at the same time.”

“Oh wow!” Anna-May said excitedly. The adults laughed. “But do you think you could give sissy a piggy-back too?”

“Sure,” Jack said with a nod. Anna-May shrieked in delight and ran away to tell her sister the good news.

“Careful sweetheart or you’ll get roped into giving piggy-backs all afternoon,” Bitty said.

“I don’t mind,” Jack said, kissing the top of Bitty’s head. He looked around the backyard and saw most of the others had wandered over towards the food tables again. “But I think I need a snack first.”

“Lord, I’d love some of Moomaw’s sweet tea right about now but I’m so darn tired I can’t move.”

“Well we can’t have that,” Jack said. Bitty missed the sly look on his face. He shrieked as Jack stood up and threw him into a fireman’s carry.

The rest of the Phelpses and Bittles looked on and laughed as Bitty pounded on his boyfriend’s back, shouting “Jack Laurent Zimmermann you put me down!”

**Author's Note:**

> This was a purely indulgent fic inspired by Wheeloffortune-design's art. This has been chilling in my computer for like 3 years lol. Happy Fourth of July 2020 - stay safe everyone! 
> 
> link to the art: https://wheeloffortune-design.tumblr.com/post/165644585490/a-couple-years-down-the-line-jack-was-invited-to


End file.
